Doing it without a CBD

Nestled in quiet rural Marlborough is a ‘‘village’’ with a cafe, cellar door, gin distillery and boutique stores bursting with energy.

At the Vines Village on a Sunday, you might have to wait a few minutes longer for your food because it is busy but while you do, there is plenty of green space and often an event on.

Despite this, Vines Village coowner Jeff Fulton said getting to where they were came with challenges. ‘‘It is the small things, such as decking out the cafe, it is a huge investment and it takes time,’’ Fulton said.

On top of that, Fulton said his phone was on 24/7, which meant there were technically no days off. Finding staff in the hospitality industry was tough too.

‘‘No-one wants to work weekends, we are lucky we have some younger staff who live close that can.’’

Fulton said that, as expected, winter could be slow.

However, located on the Marlborough Golden Mile meant about 7000 people travelled to the village by bike during summer.

‘‘I think looking after the environment is really important to everyone at the moment; it is the small things like that which we can do for others,’’ Fulton said. ‘‘Because we are rural we have had to be innovative and we are really narrowing our niche in doing so.’’

He said things like using A2 milk, focusing on the coffee they put out and having kombucha on tap were important for their image. Being active on social media and holding different events to draw the crowds in had worked well for the business.

‘‘Sometimes I think we are posting too many photos but then someone will come in and ask for something they have seen on Instagram and I realise it works.

‘‘We still get people who come in from Renwick who had no idea we were here.’’

Fulton said he still got excited about switching up the menu every season and keeping everything as local as possible.

Lining events up with others was also important. For example, the Vines Village hosted a wedding fair and a beer festival on the same weekend. He thought there were ways to link everyone, including the Blenheim central business district (CBD).

‘‘It is about working together, not against each other,’’ Fulton said. ‘‘Such as with us, because we close at 4.30pm, we will often send people to Moa [Brewing Co] because they have got a great outdoor setting and food. In saying that, I don’t doubt there is that collaboration in the CBD.’’

Fulton said there needed to be a dedicated cycle track leading into the CBD, and it would make more sense to have food options in the same spot as currently most were dotted around the periphery of the CBD. The ‘Forum’ should be four or five cafes,’’ Fulton said. ‘‘Everyone loves to sit down and people watch.’’